Anyone visiting Wales this year might like to add the Welsh Highland Railway to their itinerary. It's a 25 mile journey from Caernarfon via Beddgelert (readers of The Carmarthen Underground might glimpse the tea plantations there!). Eventually, it will terminate at Porthmadog but even without that it promises to be a spectacular journey. Information can be found on the Festrail website.
I'm reading that fine organ The South Wales Echo on the train. Anyone whose antecedents were gold miners in the Klondike might like to log on to Walesonline.co.uk for the letters page (called Viewpoints). Gareth Roberts of Deiniolen, Caernarfon, is seeking information about Welsh people who went to the Klondike in the 1890s as he intends to retrace the journey made by these people and record it in various forms. His e-mail address is garmel@fsmail.net.
I haven't forgotten about this and I've just started looking up folk dancing societies etc. I came across a website called walesbooks.com, which has a list of Welsh societies around the world and I'm staggeredby the number of these societies in the USA; there are others as far away as New Zealand and even one in Sri Lanka, as well as South Africa. I'm also looking up societies here in the UK, of course. There's a group in Ohio, called Welsh Country Dancers of Ohio. Rhianne kindly suggested a company in Swansea which does promotions. There's Wales Marketing USA. So many places and people one could contact. As 1st March falls on a Tuesday next year, any celebration of this kind would have to be done on the previous weekend, I suppose. I mentioned to Rhianne that it could be done in a sort of "wave"; for example, it could take place at 11am here in the UK and then 11am on the East Coast of the US, 11am in central USA and so on.
I just sent a message to "friends" as follows:
I saw a programme on BBC4 about flash-mob clog dancing in Newcastle. The presenter arranged for clog dancers to convene in a square in Newcastle upon Tyne for just 6 minutes, accompanied by folk musicians, and the public was really delighted. I found it thrilling to watch and it occurred to me that there could be a worldwide coordinated flash mob doing Welsh dancing and singing (I mention singing because some of us might have "challenged" knees and singing is what we are known for anyway) on 1st March, though I how it could be arranged I don't know. The Irish have their parades so why can't we do something too?
Hi Ceri
Just letting you know that I've posted a review of Celtic Maidens on Librarything.com, which, in turn, is linked to my Twitter and Facebook accounts.
I've now started using Facebook for my book but trying to add the Facebook link to my website has been a nightmare. I follow the instructions and don't seem to get anywhere!
It's great that you'll be at the Essex Book Festival, I hope that goes well for you.
Best wishes for 2011,
Gaynor
I just wanted to say that I've now read Celtic Maidens and really enjoyed it. I'll give it a review on Amazon in due course. Lots of luck to you, you deserve good sales.
Gaynor
Ceri
I'm sorry that I'm a bit late in catching up with this. I've ordered your book, just a few minutes ago, and I'm looking forward to reading it. I don't know how aggressive your publisher is in promoting the book or which bookshops are stocking it. From my own meagre experience, I had postcards made (book's cover picture on the front and contact details/website etc. on the reverse) which I took to bookshops (mainly independent ones and the local tourist office) and asked them nicely to give them out to customers (and consider stocking the book). I have a website for the book too. I've found the independent outlets to be very supportive. Do you have a Twitter account? That is useful for promotion too. Interviews with local newspapers help.
Gaynor
G'day
Apologies - somehow I missed that. I'm sure you're right about Wrexham.
Gaynor
We haven't mentioned Russell Crowe, who I believe has Welsh ancestry somewhere along the line.
This discussion is entirely new to me. It surely has to be Ioan Gruffudd and the film would have to be made in Welsh with English subtitles. However, if Wesley Snipes is willing to learn Welsh, I don't see why he couldn't be in it (that goes for Steven Seagal too).
